On Sat. Feb. 3 theatre goers will be treated to a play that will reintroduce the concept of clowning with Over her Dead Body, an original play by Christine Lesiak that combines physical comedy with the bittersweet thoughts that arise during a wake.

“It’s a story of what happens when a middle-aged daughter comes home for her mother’s funeral,” said Lesiak, co-founder of Small Matters Productions, though that really does not do the play justice as so much is going on without a word being spoken.

Rather than being limited to the circus clown archetype people think of when they think of clowns, the dramatic form is more like what you see in the antics of Mr. Bean or Buster Keaton. Without relying on the spoken word, their actions are all that is needed to tell a story that feels like something that could happen to us only to a cartoonish degree.

“Clowns just tend to react without thinking a lot [and] get carried away in the moment,” explained Lesiak, who will be playing the daughter with renowned Canadian clown Jan Henderson coming back from a 25 year hiatus.

“We laugh at the clown because we see ourselves in them because we ourselves have done that. The clown is all about who we are as people and we’re all very fallible,” said Lesiak, something that they chose to show celebrated on stage rather than punished.

As such, Over her Dead Body will be full of hijinks both at the funeral and in the memories the daughter has of the times she had with her mother, adding a bit of drama to the otherwise comedic performance.

“It’s a very gentle, thoughtful kind of comedy. It’s really a story about memories and mothers who want to connect with daughters and daughters wanting distance,” said Lesiak, noting that while everyone can enjoy the story it really speaks to women with those relationships.

“I’d recommend you bring Kleenex. People have been known to cry,” said Lesiak, who has had some women call their mothers after the show it created such a visceral response.

Whether it is the drama or the comedy that appeals to you, both will be on display at the Ranchehouse Sat. Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available in advance for $25 at brownpapertickets.com.